Bridgestone Motorcycle Parts Discussion Board

well its been a few years since ive been on here, 7 years by the look of it since i did the mini buffalo (chibi copy, 60cc of awesome)and its taken me that long to find another bridgestone, basically none made it to new zealand, ive now moved to scotland and managed to find a mkII rs that had been imported from the states along with a bunch of rd350's the guy who bought it over had no interest in it so sold it to me,

so the good bits are its pretty much complete,its only done 2900 miles. paint is ok and has a cool patinaframe is in excellent condition

bad bits are, its been sitting for 40 odd years its seized solid, all the rubber bits are perished or missing front brake lever is busted,

my plan is to get it running, by doing as much of a rebuild that is necessary,i wont be touching the paint, as i dont want a show bike, replace any missing bits, get it registered over here in scotland and ride it.

im guessing im going to need: rings for both cylinderstop and bottom bearings, new conrods, and new crank pins,piston pins,all new internal bearingsnew chain and sprockets,rubber carb boots (carb to airbox)tanks rubber knee pads,new tyres, and probably a rebore/re-chome depending on barrel type

so if any of you have spares that you are willing to part with flick me a message.i'll post photos as things happen (which may be a while, in the midst of moving house at the moment)

right, update time.basically moved house so now have a garage and a place to work on the bike, :D has been a bit of a mission getting settled in, but been worth it,

the garage(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0020%20Large_zpsunq7eiv0.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0021%20Large_zpsp3zlaqr6.jpg)

first off had to remove the carbs etc from the side of the engine,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0353%20Large_zpsk4btppgh.jpg)

all the wiring, hoses, foot rests seat tank etc, so i could unbolt the engine and pull it from the frame,

(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0354%20Large_zpsphage0az.jpg)not a too hard of a job,

the chain was stuck pretty solid to the front sprocket(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0355%20Large_zpsqnecbtxw.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0356%20Large_zpsbfw0zxyk.jpg)

next up was to pull the heads which was super easy,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0358%20Large_zpswkkw6dh7.jpg)

next was barrels. (http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0359%20Large_zps3axewlxy.jpg)

not so easy. managed to pull the right hand one no bother, the rings and piston were in pretty good nick, and if it was cast iron bores i'd have been happy with the barrel as well,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0360%20Large_zpsryoksybi.jpg)

the left hand cylinder wasn't going anywhere, so left it for a time until i could get to the nut on the crankshaft and try and brute force it out.

pull the clutch side case, a combo of black sludge and water came out to reval the mess that is the clutch,all new friction and steel plates are going to be needed(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0361%20Large_zps5qxpt2m8.jpg)

pulled the basket and all the associated cogs etc, a bit of rust on some, but easily save-able. then into the rotary valve,

(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0362%20Large_zpsdji0x9yf.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0364%20Large_zps86l5o4p7.jpg)everything is nicely marked so you can't really cock up the timing if you pay a wee bit of attention

rinse and repeat on the oil pump side.(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0365%20Large_zpsuzpseejb.jpg)you probably noticed the alternator is out, that fucker is also seized solid and will also need new bearings.

yep much the same (http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0366%20Large_zps2fi8k45p.jpg)

so that pretty much it. i did get the other piston out. piston is pretty much done for, and rings are poked, but i sort of thought it was always going to be the case.

crank is feeling really good, so hopefully i dont have to spend $800 usd on a new crankshaft, its probably going to cost me around that for all the bearings, pistons, rings, seals, gaskets, etc etc

the selector dogs had partially welded themselves to the selector shaft and i couldn't free it to pull the shaft free,but with a combo of blow torch and almost a can of penetrating spray and a few dozen taps from a hammer i managed to get all the dogs moving.so the shaft came out,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMAG0372%20Large_zpsbvitdje6.jpg)and with a bit of wet and dry and oil i cleaned up the shaft to a nice smoothish and more importantly re-useable condition.

i found this bit of metal in the bottom of the gearbox...(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMAG0377%20Large_zpsic3srxd9.jpg)hmmm,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMAG0378%20Large_zps2d51gwp5.jpg)

oh so it looks like i have to buy a dog, not to worry, first broken thing ive found,

gearbox bearing are a bit notchy so i'll replace them, and have decided not to replace the 2 outer crank bearings

cases are off to a mate to get sonic cleaned, and get rid of the 40 year old shite on them.

next up, carbs and alternator, then to spend a stupid amount of money on almost impossible to find parts

ive managed to get all the bearings and seals out of simplybearings which was nice, cheap as well, all nsk or koyo bearings, which is what i pulled out of the bike,

this is a list of bits i need, ive sent the list to richard a few days a go, but no reply from him,i was hoping not to go down the ebay route, as the shipping fees from the us to the uk from multiple sellers is going to be a killer.

some of the stuff like barrels i can get plated, but its not really much cheaper than the price ive seen on ebay for a brand new barrel,

You may need to be patient. It may take a few weeks for Richard to return your parts list. You may want to resend your list. He is pretty busy! Once you get the prices the process moves much faster. It took me a few weeks (4-5) to get my prices. After I received the prices and put together my order, it only took minutes to get final price and pay. My parts showed up a few days later. So be patient! It's worth it! Good luck! Steve

fair enough, im surprised he hasnt gooten in some one to take a stock take and list everything on a website, its not particuly hard, the whole thing could be almost automated, any way, hopefully i'll get a reply soon, really need the selector dogs so i can get the bottom end back together.

Don't hold your breath waiting for a reply is all I'll say , see if BSaddict has any bits you need or any one in Europe or UK weeks can turn into months .....Good luck by the way , I just fired up my 175/200 yesterday so I am on the easy end of the rebuildRegardsBill

i just paid my bill to richard, i ended up hasselling him on ebay :Dwhich got results :D

a few things i couldnt get from him or certified parts corp.but a managed to get a second hand shift drum and dogs off WWW.USEDMOTORCYCLEPARTS.WS (http://WWW.USEDMOTORCYCLEPARTS.WS)

barrels i'll have to get replated in the uk,

its strange that he hasnt got a couple of kids for $10 an hour to do a full inventory and actually make a full automated data baseive worked with a couple of bike breakers/wreckers in the past and 90% of their sales is internet based. gone are the days where you had to call a dozen bike breakers to get what you were after, mind you richard has us by the short and curleys, ;)

Richard had the forethought/wisdom/passion, whatever you call it to buy up as many parts depot's as he could. It's a wonder most of that stuff didn't end up being sold for scrap or tossed in the landfill when Bridgestone ceased production.

He has chosen the business model that works best for him. I've spoken to him on the phone once or twice and he really is a super nice guy with a lifetime full of knowledge.

It may not be the ideal method, but your not buying aftermarket Honda parts either. Its the laws of supply and demand.

dcr: Thanks for the kind words, its guys like you which keep me involved and interested in Bridgestone

Logan: While thanks for the order, but I will continue to deal with my BS parts the way I want to. It is more than obvious this method does not meet with your approval, but that is the way I do it.

Sorry I am slow in getting lists back, but when one does place an order, it goes out fast, usually same day.

I did not realize that you hassled me off ebay, since I do not take care of day to day ebay sales. Yes, I do have others who are involved. I will check with Mike to see how much hassling that you are talking about. ;)

I will ask you not to do it any more. Any more messages concerning this will be deleted.

Please keep this forum for BS talk, not an place to slam any one in the BS world. :)

richard, i think you have me wrong.and i do appreciate what you have done it has taken an incredible amount of forethought and i imagine a huge investment on your behalf.you are of course allowed to run things how you want, and if you want a more personalised way where an individual has to personally contact you then that finei was merely pointing out that the internet is a powerful tool for selling stuff, and lots of people (me included) like a streamlined fully automated buying system, im sorry ive offended you, but it wasnt me intention.

most parts have been ordered, it pretty great expense out of the statesthe mrs even noticed the drop in the bank account, which she doesnt normally notice. bugger. but she just got a new car so i didnt really get in trouble ;) just a stern look :D

ive decided im going to have to rebuild the alternator, after finding out the price on a replacement item, (more than the price i paid for the bike) ive managed to get the cam that opens the points, so i'll have to free the old ones off, and replace the bearings,

barrels were sent off to http://www.poetonaptec.co.uk/ (http://www.poetonaptec.co.uk/) to get ceramic plated.

here is the left hand barrel, it had the rings stuck to the bore,and required a stupid amount of effort to free them from the piston.(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0420%20Large_zpspy3n9zer.jpg)you can see the chrome chipping off at the top, and faintly see the mark just above the transfer?? port where the rings were stuck(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0421%20Large_zpshudynk6j.jpg)

next up is the right hand cylinder, which is actually in pretty good shape, and if the left had been like this i wouldnt have sent them off to get ceramic plated.(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0422%20Large_zpsgxvssjbw.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0423%20Large_zpsofdwe7zr.jpg)

right been a while.lots of waiting when parts have to come from the other side of the world,

any way first to arrive was my new shift drum and selector dogs.i had to buy a whole set to get one dog. but thats the way it goes(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0433%20Large_zps7vp8fysm.jpg)sitting nicely in their new home

next up was cleaning the gear box, removing and replacing all the bearings,thankfully simply bearings in the uk had every thing i needed in stock,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0434%20Large_zpse1wdesvm.jpg)

most of the bits i need arrived from richards relics in the U.S,the new intake to airbox rubbers and chrome joiner(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0435%20Large_zpswpfuxfbc.jpg)

the new pistons, rings, pins, small end bearings, and circlips(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/IMAG0436%20Large_zpsp1x4tl79.jpg)

still waiting on http://www.poetonaptec.co.uk/ (http://www.poetonaptec.co.uk/) to return my barrels,they were remarkably quick to take my money, but refuse to return an email, i guess ill have to suck it and see

i had to shoot to new zealand for my grandads funeral had his last ride in his faithful 55 morris(had it since new)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/12046809_10153558703806224_940654294753136912_n_zpsltaftlx9.jpg)

(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMAG0509%20Large_zpsw5ptpakm.jpg)even champhered the ports for me, which was nice

(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMAG0508%20Large_zpsf6rohu42.jpg)they are like brand new, pretty impressed, with the results... not so much with the service though.

also the new clutch metals and fibres had turned up,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMAG0513%20Large_zpstrvugykw.jpg)

along with new points and condensers.

(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMAG0511%20Large_zpsf11qni97.jpg)and a cool little tool box cover lid which i was missing. they fall into the unobtainium category of rare metals, but managed to find a brand new one in the correct colour :D(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/IMAG0512%20Large_zps5xhxsvy9.jpg)

so thats where i stand now, i pretty much have everything i need now to finish the engine,just a couple of carb kits, and a couple of bearings for the generator to fit,

ah ha, well that didnt work out to plan, almost a year since touching the bike.

to be fair, ive had 4 different bikes stolen, done 2 top end rebuilds on my own bikes, done a full rebuild to a tdm 850, and another to a ktm990 (dont ever buy one of them, bastards to work on [:D] )

fitted double glazing to the house, cut down a dozen trees on the property,

helped convert a bus to a motorhome, started a new job, missioned about france and belgium in the campervan,

rebuilt my old 1970s swiss made revox amplifier,

plasterboarded all of the upstairs and painted, re-wired most of the house,

yeah i know, excuses excuses [:D]

anyway house is looking ok, untill a building warrant comes through for the extension down stairs, so i have some time on my hands.

so i was back to bolting the 2 parts of the bottom end back together, but thought id go over it all just in case i missed something a year ago,

just as well as id missed a spring that activates the "highway gear" selector (basically lets it go from 4th back into neural, or allows it to shift into 5th and stops it going into neutral) pretty cool idea,

and also forgot 2 split pins on the selector forks, that keep the pins in place and keep it located on the selector drum,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/20160816_205337_zps8srycklo.jpg)

of course like a retard, i didnt have a single split pin any where, so that made short work of my evenings work on the bike,

hopefully work on this will pick up, and ill have it finished before,... before sometime [:D]

put new shoes in both drums,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0342%20Large_zpseewndcy1.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0343%20Large_zpsrltg9zna.jpg)

changed the fork oil and seals

got the bike back on its wheels again and fitted the engine(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0354%20Large_zpspuggmlbh.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0355%20Large_zpshpn5fa3i.jpg)

connected all the electrics back up, best bike ever for wiring, see a wire, connect it to another wire of the same colour, and repeat, was so easy, no stupid indicators,, and a cool old school rectifier,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0358%20Large_zpsi6rve4jw.jpg)plus the coolest brake switch ive ever seen :D(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0357%20Large_zpsgdzyzpnd.jpg)

then chuck the tank and seat on,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0360%20Large_zpshcpqrx4h.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0361%20Large_zps4wk52r5p.jpg)

then connected the exhausts,(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0362%20Large_zpsbf3rpn1f.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0363%20Large_zpsvj4zjk1t.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0364%20Large_zpss7zg15ri.jpg)and kick starter and gear shift,

so thats where i stand,

ive got to get a few bits before i can attempt to kick the old girl over,

well the vinegar worked ok, but not aggressive enough,but this is the clour of the crud that came out(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0380%20Large_zpskcqqpygu.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0382%20Large_zpsxsxsrx1k.jpg)

so i bit the bullet and got some "deck and patio cleaner" (hydrochloric /Muriatic acid)it was 20% some of the pool stuff is around 36%(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0384%20Large_zpsklb3jqoz.jpg)

worked great, did a better job in a hour than what vinegar did in 2 days(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0386%20Large_zpsitialnth.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0391%20Large_zpsqmmhhroc.jpg)

so in celebration of having a clean tank, i jerry rigged the fuel lines and attempted to start the old girl!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq9sO5Cb6-g&half a dozen kicks and she fired to life.

starts first kick, idles fine, but its seriously down on power, like id say 5 or 6hp not the advertised 20hp.i thought i'd change out the carbs as i couldnt get one of them to stop pissing fuelso got some genuine mikuni vm18-144 going from the stock vm17-18 they are pretty much the same.i tried the stock 95 mains with 15 pilot = no bettertryed the 70 mains with 30 pilot that came in the carbs (another bridgestone rider skiri251 has had success with setup)

its certainly better than the 95 mains set up but topped out at 45 mph and couldn't even hold speed in top gear

ive had problems with some aftermarket exhaust gaskets sealing... mainly because the pieces of crap melted(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0643%20Large_zpsmsswge5t.jpg)yep quality(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0644%20Large_zpsdkz6txji.jpg)

so i got a set of genuine old stock bridgestone ones to try out(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0645%20Large_zpsgni4mghg.jpg)

so thats where i am.

compression is bang on, spark is good, fuelling is where it should be.. may be. :Dtiming is as close as i can humanly get it.

ill post ..post ride with the new gasket rubbers :D

i dunno though, my little kawasaki kh125 rotary valve would eat this for breakfast at this stage. even my little piston port suzuki b120 is quicker.

its running loads better managed to get to 70 before one of the baffles came flying out :D and i stopped to turn around to pick it up, the other baffle in the exhaust is broken off inside the exhaust and only half of it is able to come out,not really a problem for now, but will become one when it gets coked up with carbon and i cant remove it. :(

its still a bit shit down low getting off the mark. unsure if this is a carburation issue or if its the characteristic of the bike.

ill post a video riding it once i figure out how to hold my phone and ride at the same time

its weird, it feels like my kh125 at the top end which was dyno'd at 15hpbut it has no where near the pulling power down low,

i think im going to swap the carbs back to the stock set up but use the floats and float needle.and replace all the jets with stock sized ones.

i was reading the http://www.mikuni.com/pdf/vmmanual.pdfand it explained the whole small main with big pilot jet conundrum with these new carbs,and basically points to the needle as a possible place to start looking.well thats the way i read it, 2 stroke tuning = dark art :D

its weird, it feels like my kh125 at the top end which was dyno'd at 15hpbut it has no where near the pulling power down low,

i think im going to swap the carbs back to the stock set up but use the floats and float needle.and replace all the jets with stock sized ones.

i was reading the http://www.mikuni.com/pdf/vmmanual.pdfand it explained the whole small main with big pilot jet conundrum with these new carbs,and basically points to the needle as a possible place to start looking.well thats the way i read it, 2 stroke tuning = dark art :D

Good luck with that.I may follow if you succeed, although my stock carbs are so messed up they didn't give me no power from bottom to top.

well i found out why my stock units were pissing fuel...one of the floats doesnt float :D it must have a pin hole i cant see, but given a shake you can hear the fuel sloshing around inside it.

starts well, but a bit too well for a test ride. ill keep you updated.if nothing else the new carbs are worth it for the floats and random jets

My stok carbs got okay floats. No sloshing sound.They leaked gas from float bowl gaskets. I had to put two of them per carb to stop the leak.I put brand-new stock parts. Main jets, pilot jets, float valve assy. and yet no power and bad gas mileage.

pulled off the head to be greated with this tale of woe(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0652%20Large_zps9n08aa4v.jpg)luckily in my arsenal of spares i had one piston that was in good shape, with 1 good ring,exactly what was needed(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0654%20Large_zpslrugyq9n.jpg)

so swapped it all over and happy days(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0655%20Large_zpsrvnqtotk.jpg)

most importantly my stupidly expensive ceramic coated barrels were still in perfect nick, not even a hint of a scratch (thank Hesus)

heres a couple more pics of the semi destruction(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0656%20Large_zps5xktexso.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0657%20Large_zpshmajbwgj.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/DSC_0659%20Large_zpslhggvk9f.jpg)

so one can assume that the main jet on the left cylinder is blocked, and it was just running on the pilot jet the whole time, much leanness = very hot very hot = burny hole to pistonburny hole to piston = sadness

Or the timing is off. I chased a problem of "hole'n" pistons for about two years. 9 pistons later I finally found the ignition failed internally (bearing apple cored the shaft) where I could not see it. I would think a lack of lubrication would lead to a seizure of the piston to cylinder wall.

Or the timing is off. I chased a problem of "hole'n" pistons for about two years. 9 pistons later I finally found the ignition failed internally (bearing apple cored the shaft) where I could not see it. I would think a lack of lubrication would lead to a seizure of the piston to cylinder wall.

paul

how do you mean the ignition failed internally? 9 pistons thats alot, id be pretty pissed :D im pretty confident that the timing is good, and the fact the top end was good with the vm18-144's then quite shit with the vm17-18 gives me faith that my carb is blocked some where, might order a couple of spare pistons to be safe :D

its a bit frustrating having never ridden a bridgestone before this that i dont know what i should be expecting.but hey ho, you dont make omlets with out breaking eggs :D

apparently i have another set of carbs somewhere as well (according to ebay i bought another set a year ago, which i dont remember either buying or receiving) ill have to have a look in my carb cupboard (yep i have a whole cupboard dedicated to carbs and carb bits :D )

Wow... my condolences.When I bought mine, it came with a holed piston. That was a good side. The bad side had siezed piston. LOL.Yeah, this is my first BS also so I don't know my bottom end is normal or poor.But I have to say it is much better than with tired VM17-18s.

Or the timing is off. I chased a problem of "hole'n" pistons for about two years. 9 pistons later I finally found the ignition failed internally (bearing apple cored the shaft) where I could not see it. I would think a lack of lubrication would lead to a seizure of the piston to cylinder wall.

paul

how do you mean the ignition failed internally? 9 pistons thats alot, id be pretty pissed :D im pretty confident that the timing is good, and the fact the top end was good with the vm18-144's then quite shit with the vm17-18 gives me faith that my carb is blocked some where, might order a couple of spare pistons to be safe :D

its a bit frustrating having never ridden a bridgestone before this that i dont know what i should be expecting.but hey ho, you dont make omlets with out breaking eggs :D

apparently i have another set of carbs somewhere as well (according to ebay i bought another set a year ago, which i dont remember either buying or receiving) ill have to have a look in my carb cupboard (yep i have a whole cupboard dedicated to carbs and carb bits :D )

I guess I should have stated that it is a race bike and the ignition is custom. I had an ARD ignition from a racing BSA/Triumph modified to fit an SR175 Bridgestone. Had a new shaft made to fit the BSA cam taper to the BS transmission gear. I think maybe the shaft was just made of mild steel and after a bunch of races the bearing wore out the shaft. The ignition was shorting out internally when the generating magnet started bouncing around knocking off the protective coating causing it to contact and fry a hole in the piston. This happened like snapping your fingers but a bit faster.

paul

p.s. and I was pissed only because I picked up about 7 of the pistons (wiseco) for pretty cheap off ebay and thought I'd have them for a long time!

Well, I replaced the main jets on both carbs.And gave them a blow through in case more shit had managedTo get stuck in the passages.No one likes a blocked back passage.

Everything was clear so I gave it a kick over www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEF9mOcUoM0&

I love how this thing starts first kick.

Can't/won't take it for a test ride, as it's currently snowing here in Scotland.Tell ya it was a manic ride to work on the bandit this morning.More side ways action than I prefer on 2 wheels. One of these days I'll buy a car/ute for the winter.Not today though Wink

also spoke to the vintage japanese motorcycle club (vjmc) about dating the bike for the dvla (vtnz in nz, dmv in the states)

so that got done pretty painlessly(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/bridgestone%20200/vjmc%20letter%20Large_zpstsocwcmx.jpg)

still waiting for the dvla to send out the paperwork for me to fill in and send back (frankly astounded you cant just download the paperwork, british bureaucracy at its best, of course they've also shut down all their offices so you cant just pick it up either)

so while i was waiting, i thought id work on the mrs suzuki B120 of 72 vintage. (not that she has ever ridden it, but she swears she's doing her licence this year.... :roll: )

it hadnt been started in a couple of years and last time i rode it, the fuel would piss out the float bowl, or alternatively run out of fuel because the bowl wasnt full enough.

and since the carbs are almost the same as the bridgestone i thought id steal a float from one of the 4 spare carbs i have, and put that in, also uses a 95 main jet as well which i had a few spare, so a new one of those went in,

put it back together, turned on the fuel,

and...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t6I7NK3L1M&

so pretty happy with that,first kick after 2 years. might take it out for a spin if im not to drunk after ive done my beer brew in the morning. so probably wont take it out for a ride :D

never heard of an ag175!! staple of the nz farming industry :D(https://yamaha-enduros.com/index.php/forum/attachment/4780)

same bore and stroke as the it175, just lower compression, obviously the piston is different, and no doubt the porting etc,

any waywell, after a successful brew i was in no fit state to go for a ride on any bike, order of the day was a drunken lunch time nap, last batch of hops added to the mash ton. doesnt look very appetising i admit :D(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/DSC_0727%20Large_zps5zu7nbt8.jpg)but sunday was a good day,first i took pinky (b120) for a ride to find it was running out of gas at full throttle, so pulled the carb and adjusted the float,another spin and she was bang on, even managed to get to 55mph on the flat :D hehe

next on the cards was wee red (bridgestone)had to replace a buggered exhaust gasket, then decided id take her for a spin with out the seat,ran like a champ!! managed 80mph on the clocks and pulled pretty well getting there,

big red (vtr) got a start up a wee run, as well, just because it'd been such a fruitful day

blacky (bandit) didnt get any love

pics for thread(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/DSC_0730%20Large_zpsekbopvbl.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/DSC_0731%20Large_zpskkplnim4.jpg)(http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g257/hmmmnz/DSC_0732%20Large_zpswa0ww8cu.jpg)

yeah and was smooth getting there and easily held it, i feel like i could get more out of it as well, biggest thing for me has been changing the floats (originals were taking on fluid) and changing out the main jets,

its been a bumpy ride getting there, when the seat comes back ill take it for its mot and get it road legal, then decide if i want to pursue a couple more hp.